The compound 11-(2-pyrrolidin-1-yl-ethoxy)-14,19-dioxa-5,7,26-triaza-tetracyclo[19.3.1.1(2,6).1(8,12)]heptacosa-1(25),2(26),3,5,8,10,12(27),16,21,23-decaene (Compound I) was first described in PCT/SG2006/000352 and shows significant promise as a pharmaceutically active agent for the treatment of a number of medical conditions and clinical development of this compound is underway based on the activity profiles demonstrated by the compound.

In the development of a drug suitable for mass production and ultimately commercial use acceptable levels of drug activity against the target of interest is only one of the important variables that must be considered. For example, in the formulation of pharmaceutical compositions it is imperative that the pharmaceutically active substance be in a form that can be reliably reproduced in a commercial manufacturing process and which is robust enough to withstand the conditions to which the pharmaceutically active substance is exposed.
In a manufacturing sense it is important that during commercial manufacture the manufacturing process of the pharmaceutically active substance be such that the same material is reproduced when the same manufacturing conditions are used. In addition it is desirable that the pharmaceutically active substance exists in a solid form where minor changes to the manufacturing conditions do not lead to major changes in the solid form of the pharmaceutically active substance produced. For example it is important that the manufacturing process produce material having the same crystalline properties on a reliable basis and also produce material having the same level of hydration.
In addition it is important that the pharmaceutically active substance be stable both to degradation, hygroscopicity and subsequent changes to its solid form. This is important to facilitate the incorporation of the pharmaceutically active substance into pharmaceutical formulations. If the pharmaceutically active substance is hygroscopic (“sticky”) in the sense that it absorbs water (either slowly or over time) it is almost impossible to reliably formulate the pharmaceutically active substance into a drug as the amount of substance to be added to provide the same dosage will vary greatly depending upon the degree of hydration. Furthermore variations in hydration or solid form (“polymorphism”) can lead to changes in physico-chemical properties, such as solubility or dissolution rate, which can in turn lead to inconsistent oral absorption in a patient.
Accordingly, chemical stability, solid state stability, and “shelf life” of the pharmaceutically active substance are very important factors. In an ideal situation the pharmaceutically active substance and any compositions containing it, should be capable of being effectively stored over appreciable periods of time, without exhibiting a significant change in the physico-chemical characteristics of the active substance such as its activity, moisture content, solubility characteristics, solid form and the like.
In relation to 11-(2-pyrrolidin-1-yl-ethoxy)-14,19-dioxa-5,7,26-triaza-tetracyclo[19.3.1.1(2,6).1(8,12)]heptacosa-1(25),2(26),3,5,8,10,12(27),16,21,23-decaene initial studies were carried out on the hydrochloride salt and indicated that polymorphism was prevalent with the compound being found to adopt more than one crystalline form depending upon the manufacturing conditions. In addition it was observed that the moisture content and ratio of the polymorphs varied from batch to batch even when the manufacturing conditions remained constant. These batch-to-batch inconsistencies and the exhibited hygroscopicity made the hydrochloride salt less desirable from a commercial viewpoint.
Accordingly it would be desirable to develop a salt or salts of 11-(2-pyrrolidin-1-yl-ethoxy)-14,19-dioxa-5,7,26-triaza-tetracyclo[19.3.1.1(2,6).1(8,12)]heptacosa-1(25),2(26),3,5,8,10,12(27),16,21,23-decaene which overcome or ameliorate one or more of the above identified problems.